High School Equivalency Test (HiSET)

State Eligibility Requirements

To take the HiSET exam in California, you must be a California resident or a member of the armed forces assigned to duty in the state of California, have not completed high school and meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Age: To take the HiSET exam in California, you must meet any one of the following requirements:

  • You must be 18 years of age or older or within 60 days of your 18th birthday (regardless of school enrollment status).

  • You must be within 60 days of when you would have graduated from high school had you remained in school and followed the usual course of study. (May not currently be enrolled in school.)

  • You must be 17 years of age and out of school for at least 60 consecutive days. You must also provide a letter of request from the military, a postsecondary educational institution or a prospective employer.

  • You must be 17 years of age, have accumulated fewer than 100 units of high school, be confined to a state or county or correctional agency, and meet all of the following criteria:

    • You do not have a realistic chance of completing the requirements for a high school diploma.

    • You have adequate academic skills to successfully complete the HiSET exam.

    • You understand the options available regarding acquisition of a high school diploma, the high school equivalency certificate, or the high school proficiency certificate and the requirements, expectations, benefits and limitations of each option.

    • You have sufficient time left to complete the entire HiSET exam; however, if released before the test is completed, you may complete testing at an authorized testing center.

• Note: If you pass the HiSET exam at age 17, you will not receive the equivalency certificate until your 18th birthday. Before that time, you will receive a letter of intent stating that the certificate is being held pending your 18th birthday.

• Residency: Proof of California residency must be verified, both at the time of registration and before admittance to the testing room. Find out about acceptable evidence for California residency.

• Test Preparation or Instruction: You are not required to take HiSET preparation courses before taking the test.

• Practice Test: You are not required to take the HiSET practice test before taking the exam.

• Identification: Identity and age must be verified by current photo identification at time of scheduling and/or before admittance to the testing room. Acceptable identification includes:

  • photographic driver's license, with a signature, issued by any U.S. state or foreign government

  • photographic identification card, with a signature, issued by any of the U.S. Armed Forces, any U.S. state, or any foreign government

  • photographic Tribal enrollment card with a signature

  • photographic identification card or badge, with a signature, issued by a California department or agency (e.g., California Conservation Corps)

  • photographic passport, with a signature, issued by the United States or a foreign government

• Note: The identification must include your name, birth date, signature, photograph and address.

The following policies apply to anyone taking the HiSET® exam in the state of California. When you schedule an appointment, you will need to confirm that you have read and understand these policies.

See California high school equivalency testing program for more information.

Note: Certain California school districts or adult schools have different requirements. If you're taking the HiSET exam in any of the following, please refer to their requirement pages:

• Chula Vista Adult School

• Long Beach School for Adults

• Los Angeles Unified School District Test Center

Find your local test centers using our Test Center Search. Once you've found a test center, the test center staff can give you more information about dates and deadlines, since that information varies by test center. 

• Familiarize yourself with the administrative procedures outlined in the HiSET® Test-taker Bulletin (PDF) and your state requirements.

• Review Test Prep resources here.

• Determine how well you know the content to see how much preparation time you'll need.

• Choose a test date that's far enough away to give you enough time to prepare for the subtest(s).

• Visit Prepare for the HiSET exam to see all the available test preparation materials.